Federal death row inmates whose lives were saved by President Biden After the sentences issued against them were commuted It claimed victims from all aspects of American society, from sailors to children as young as 8 years old.
Biden announced Monday that he commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole because he is “more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” ”
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, I mourn for the victims of their despicable actions, and I ache for all the families who have suffered an unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden added. He added: “With a clear conscience, I cannot stand back and allow a new administration to resume the executions that it suspended.”
Among those who survived were Jorge Avila Torrez, A Navy veteran She was convicted of killing Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Snell inside her barracks in Arlington, Virginia, in July 2009.
Democrat “squad” praises Biden for sparing killers the “racist” death penalty
Federal prosecutors said Avila-Torrez He admitted to an inmate that he “entered Snell's room through her open door, jumped on her while she was sleeping in her bed, tied her wrists to the power cord from her laptop and strangled her with the rest of the cord.”
Years later, Avila-Torrez pleaded guilty to stabbing 8-year-old Laura Hobbs and 9-year-old Crystal Tobias to death on Mother's Day 2005 in Zion, Illinois, and a judge told him he was a “serial killer.” “According to Associated Press.
Crystal Tobias, 9, left, and her friend Laura Hobbs, 8, who were killed by Jorge Avila Torrez in Zion, Illinois, in May 2005. Reportedly, Navy veteran Jorge Avila Torrez, who pleaded guilty to Tobias' murder, was murdered. And Hobbes. A friend of Tobias's older brother at the time of their death. (Zion Police Department/Getty Images)
Another prisoner Biden saved her He is Darrell Lawrence, who was convicted of killing Columbus police officer Brian Hurst in 2005.
The Justice Department, which posthumously awarded Hearst the Medal of Valor, said: He worked in a special uniform In a bank when a masked gunman entered and the two exchanged gunfire.
“Despite sustaining fatal wounds, Hurst moved around the table and shot the suspect before he collapsed. Authorities arrested the gunman several days later as he sought medical care at a hospital in Washington, D.C.,” she added. “Officer Hurst’s quick action, exceptional courage and perseverance saved the lives of many people at the bank.”
Thomas Sanders will also no longer face the federal death penalty despite his conviction for the “kidnapping and brutal murder” of 12-year-old Alexis Roberts in 2010.
In that case, prosecutors said Sanders was dating Roberts' mother, Suellen Roberts, who he shot and killed in the head near Interstate 40 in Arizona during a trip to a wildlife park near the Grand Canyon over Labor Day weekend. He then forced Lexis into a car and held her captive while he traveled east.
Thomas Sanders and Solen Roberts, 31, mother of 12-year-old Lexis Roberts, in undated photos provided by the FBI. Sanders was convicted of killing Roberts in Arizona in 2010 and then kidnapping and killing Lexis days later. (FBI)
Police said Sanders drove several days across the country before killing Lexis Roberts in a wooded area in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. The Ministry of Justice said. “The evidence at trial established that Sanders shot Lexis Roberts four times, cut her throat, and left her body in the woods where a hunter found her body on October 8, 2010.”
Other inmates on federal death row include Alejandro Umana, a member of the MS-13 gang. Who shot the brothers dead Ruben and Manuel Garcia Salinas at a restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina, in December 2007 after they “disrespected” his gang signs and called them “fake.” According to federal prosecutors.
Anthony Battle, who Prison guard Dantonio Andrew Washington was killed With a ball hammer inside a high-security unit at the Atlanta facility in 1994, she was also rescued.
Correctional officer Dantonio Andrew Washington was murdered by inmate Anthony Battle at the University of the South Pacific in Atlanta in 1994. (Federal Bureau of Prisons/Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice)
Amnesty International USA, One supporter of Biden's decision said Monday that “the death penalty is cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment” and that Biden's move is a “huge moment for human rights.”
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He added: “With the stroke of a pen, the president establishes his legacy as a leader who stands for racial justice, humanity, and morality.” Anthony Romero added, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “This will undoubtedly be one of the key accomplishments of the Biden presidency.”
